Beth Kennedy

Afterglow

In Afterglow, Beth Kennedy turns her attention to the little sparks that continue to emit warmth after the main light of the fire has died away. These paintings hold the glow of remembered warmth: those small moments of wonder and connection that remain after times of grief and uncertainty. The work of Australian author Holly Ringland has been impactful on Kennedy’s art practice, Ringland is fierce about relentlessly pursuing joy and creativity, she writes, “One single spark that’s caught your heart and whispered to your sense of creativity: pay attention, there may be kindling here”.

The works consider the simple things that bring joy; watching the clouds move across the sky, gum trees moving in the breeze and times of gathering and connection. These paintings act as reminders, as personal talismans, to intentionally hold space for these moments in life as technology steals more of our time and attention. 

With their curving botanical shapes, washes of translucent colour and sharp patterns in ink the paintings become places where emotion is allowed to surface, settle and transform. Referencing American academic Brené Brown’s observation that “we are born makers” who move learning “from our heads to our hearts through our hands,” Afterglow reflects on making as a way of processing experience, holding space and celebrating the handmade. 

There is a quiet optimism in these paintings. They do not deny sorrow or uncertainty, but instead seek out what remains luminous within and beyond it. Like the final warmth of a fire, Afterglow invites us to pause and exhale.